Letters to the editor

Published 6:35 pm, Thursday, June 20, 2013

I am writing this letter to show my appreciation and gratitude for the outstanding service of Officer Ken Ruge, who has committed himself to protect our community and citizens. Many of us take for granted the protection we are provided by our officers, and at times they are misunderstood.

On May 30 , at 9:11 a.m., I found myself in a distressed situation after my car broke down on the left lane of Chopsey Hill Road, right after Reservoir Avenue (at the overpass, heading toward Route 8). The officer spotted me, promptly came to offer any sort of help that would be necessary, and positioned his vehicle in a way that would avoid collision or chaos. What I experienced during that time has given me a completely different outlook and understanding of what our law enforcement officers must do every day to keep us safe.

I was very impressed with the way Officer Ruge conducted himself while performing his duties. He was professional and tactful in the way he interacted with me and the mechanic who later on came to tow my car. Watching him perform his duties made me proud, and I felt completely safe as he showed complete competence.

It's common to hear complaints about police work. I'd like to reassure people that we have, at our service, amazing examples of great work from this department.

Sad as I feel for Charla Nash, the state is not responsible for each person's bad decisions.

Any animal person could tell you that a chimpanzee is a wild animal and a very smart one, and that treating it like a human is asking for trouble.

I have had horses and dogs all my life, but I treat them like animals -- with kindness and care, but not with foolishness.

That the owner was foolish enough to keep it in her house was her problem. That Ms. Nash made the bad decision to go there is not the taxpayers' responsibility.

Ron Friedson

Westport

Seeking better

state leader

It is encouraging that we may have a new governor after the next election. I, for one, will support Republican Tom Foley over our elitist Gov. Malloy, if he chooses to run. Malloy's accomplishments: dead last in economic growth, with 30,000 lost jobs never to return; high borrowing to support his initiatives in lower Fairfield County such as moving a hedge fund company to his own home town of Stamford from a neighboring town (funds we do not have but need to borrow); one of the highest debt levels per resident in the nation; and ever-increasing taxes disguised as user fees. Andrew Doba, the spokesman for the governor, indicated that the governor always does what he thinks is best for the state and the right thing to do. Well, in my humble opinion, the right thing to do is to step aside and let a successful businessman take over.

Rick Perry coming to Connecticut to lure companies to Texas is like your next-door neighbor knocking on your door to ask your significant other out on a date. It's just wrong.

States' rights are not as important as the rights of the individuals of the state. Having different tax rules for different companies is not capitalism, it is cronyism.

The federal government needs to referee all this inter-state competition for jobs.

Don DeAngelis

Fairfield

Sensible plan

on districts

This letter is in regards to the letter written by Ms. Beth Daponte, who failed to mention she has formed an exploratory committee to seek her party's nomination for mayor in Stratford.The redistricting plan approved by the Town Council in Stratford seeks to add clarity to the voting process by having one place to vote for all offices. In town elections, the voter would vote at one place and for state and federal elections at another. The plan as approved as I understand it is for the voter to vote in the same place for all elections. Too much attention has been paid to the redistricting, and not enough to the candidates who are nominated by the parties. That is why it is so important to register as a member of a political party even if it is only for primary.

The energy utility company PSEG regards climate change as the "most important environmental issue of the time." As well as supporting public policy to "help achieve emissions reductions," PSEG intends to reduce the overall impact of energy consumption on the environment. Yet PSEG owns and operates the last coal-burning power plant in Connecticut. This power plant is a major source of smog and soot, a major cause of distress on health problems and local ecosystems.

As a result, children in Bridgeport are 10 times more likely to suffer an asthma attack than the rest of the state. As a college student who grew up in Cheshire, I find these statistics appalling. I wish to preserve my community for future generations, not degrade it with harmful toxic emissions.

PSEG claims to strive for a "greener" tomorrow. With these progressive ideas, it seems they have forgotten about the people living with these deplorable conditions on a daily basis. It is time for PSEG to stick to their objectives; it is time to shut down the Bridgeport coal-burning power plant.

This year's legislative session was a solid victory for thousands of Connecticut's public charter school students -- due in no small part to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the General Assembly. In keeping with the promises they made in last year's education reform law, Gov. Malloy and the Assembly committed to helping close the per-pupil funding gap that treats public charter students like second-class citizens, as well as secured additional funding to create more high-performing charter schools.

Lawmakers also worked to strengthen district/charter relations by passing legislation that will promote cooperation. There is great potential in this law as it is entirely voluntary and there are a number of ways districts and charters can creatively design mutually beneficial arrangements.

These efforts will help close our state's worst-in-the-nation achievement gap and act as a lifeline for the 65,000 kids still stuck in failing public schools. We have long way to go before every public school student has access to a high-quality education, but the work done by Gov. Malloy and the GA demonstrates their seriousness towards making this happen.

On behalf of the public charter schools in Connecticut, I'd like to thank Gov. Malloy and the GA for their commitment toward education reform. We look forward to continuing to work together in bettering the lives of all our school children.